The Defeat of the Allobroges

284, Lot: 241. Estimate $100. Sold for $200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

M. Furius L.f. Philus. 120 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 4.02 g, 6h). Rome mint. Laureate head of Janus / Roma standing left, holding wreath and scepter; to left, trophy of Gallic arms flanked by a carnyx and shield on each side; star above. Crawford 281/1; Sydenham 529; Furia 18. Good VF.

One of the few denarii in the Republican series to refer to a contemporary event, this reverse alludes to the defeat of the Allobroges by Q. Fabius Maximus in 120 BC, leading to their subjugation and the annexation of Gallia Narbonensis as a new Roman province.